Her Discussions by Dr Faye - 5 Habits To Be A HIGH ACHIEVER in 2026

Episode Date: December 29, 2025

ad Discover probiotics that actually work. Smart Strains delivers the right strain, dose, and format, backed by real clinical trials.Have a look:https://smartstrains.com/?utm_source=herdiscussions&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=herdicussionspod&utm_id=Faye+BateHow many years in a row have you promised yourself you’ll achieve a certain goal that just never happens?Then, this is the video for you.This year, I’ve spent hours speaking with the leading experts across nutrition, finance, psychology and so much more- and in this episode, I’ve compiled five of these conversations to lay out the road map to nailing the top 5 resolutions:What you’ll learn:💰 Practical ways to save money and spend smarter without feeling like you’re missing out🏃‍♀️ Tips to actually enjoy working out🥗 Simple ways to eat healthier even with little time⚖️ A realistic approach to losing weight that you can actually stick to🧠 How to learn new skills and grow your knowledge, even when life’s busy🎯 Concrete steps to finally stop letting your resolutions fall apartBut first, please don’t forget to subscribe or leave a 5-star review, it really helps us to grow this podcast.Links to subscribe / follow:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/her-discussions-by-dr-faye/id1835829612Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5viLYizHD4Zy6J42iqtPRoCan I ask you a BIG favour? 💙Please leave a review or rating. It helps us grow the podcast and bring you more amazing guests.Share with someone who needs this; it might help them live a happier, healthier life.Follow us on social media or join the broadcast channel to send us your questions for our guests. I'll leave the link here: https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbY4liwxlLnewx4H/?igsh=MWhuaXFweGtucTB3cA==https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbY4liwxlLnewx4H/?igsh=MWhuaXFweGtucTB3cA==🛑 Disclaimers & legal:This podcast is for educational / informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or financial advice. All opinions are those of the speaker(s).

How many years in a row have you promised yourself that you'll lose weight, get fit or eat a healthier diet? And it has just never happened. Well, do not worry because by the end of this video, you will have actionable expert tips to tackle all the most common New Year's resolutions so that by the end of the year, you are not looking back at another year wasted where your goals have just gone down the drain. This year, starting the podcast, I have spent hours speaking to experts in financial health. nutrition and psychology and so much more. So what I thought would be fun is for this episode, if I compiled all the most useful pieces of advice to save you guys some time or maybe just remind you of some of those most important lessons ready to go into 2026 as your happiest healthiest self. We're going to cover how to save more money, exercise more, the dreaded weight loss resolution,

healthy eating and learning new skills. Make sure you stay tuned until the end because that is probably my favourite piece of advice that I've heard since starting this podcast. Without further yapping, let me get straight into it. I will be coming on to the health and nutrition side of things a little bit later on. But first off, I want to start with a resolution that I know a lot of you will be feeling quite strongly about, given that we have just come out of Christmas. Our wallets have felt the pinch, and let's not even discuss the current economic climate. So I know that you are likely looking for the best financial.

advice to start 2026 off on the right foot and possibly recoup some funds that you have lost during the December festivities and present giving. Ola is a financial expert behind the All Things Money Instagram page and she was such an incredible guest to have on to break down really complex financial topics that are often gate kept by the finance bros but as women absolutely need to learn to master ourselves. Let's hear what her tips were for good financial health in your 20s. The next community question is

tips on starting good financial habits for young people. Oh, so I feel like number one, educate yourself. So reading those financial books, watching podcast, listening to some of those TikToks. Reliable sources, yeah. And so, yeah, educate yourself first. And then I guess when it comes to just

improving your financial health, starting with that all-important budget. So, you know, how are you when it comes to managing your finances? Are you someone that gives themselves a budget, quote, unquote, but then at the end of the month it's dipping into their same because they didn't budget enough? Or are you someone that, I guess, lives on their bare bones budget

and then can't afford to live life? And I think when it comes to managing our finances, balance is so important. And so I think if you can, budget, but also know your weaknesses. So, okay, can we add friction like we mentioned earlier? So if you're someone that dips in and out your savings, okay, you add friction.

So maybe putting your money into a fixed rate account, which means it's fixed and you can't touch it for a certain period of time. Or are you someone that doesn't know where to start? So getting a budgeting app that can do the hard work for you, like automation, technology, there's so much now that I feel like there's not really an excuse to not be budgeting. Fine. That felt like a big at.

I know you, but at everyone. Yeah, yeah. What are your favourite apps? So one of my favourites was Money Hub and sadly they no longer exist but there are other many budgeting apps out there now like Emma, Snoop some come with paid versions

but I don't think if you want to just start budgeting you don't necessarily have to pay for any of these apps Monzo again is another one of my favourites because one it helps me with my weekly budget and then two it helps me round up my spending to this nearest pound which then gets put into a savings pot so I'm saving for all the extra collect curricular activities I've got, my friend's weddings I've got to 10, 2 next

next year, so all of that really, really helps. Do your research. There's so much out there now that really helps us manage our finance as well. Yeah, we've got computers. We can use them, you know, we've got phones. We want chat GPT now. So you can literally type out, create a budget for me based on this income and these expenses. There's no excuse. No excuse. Absolutely no excuse. We're going to come on to a TikTok video that I wanted to get your thoughts on. I wanted to know for listeners who are looking for reliable information about money when there's so much nonsense out there on social media, what would your advice be? There's great content creators on TikTok and Instagram,

but I think it's always important regardless of who you're getting your information from. It's just to cross reference, to cross fact, to cross check, because I feel like, yeah, although someone might, like for me, for example, although I might share the best savings accounts for, I don't know, easy access savings accounts, I think it's always best to just do your own research because you might find something that's better for you. I might have a slight bias, although I'd hope I don't. I think I'm quite impartial.

But yeah, I think it's being important just to always just cross track everything you see online. I know personally that after recording that episode, I took a lot of those tips on and started to try and implement them immediately. But let's also hear what she has to say about balancing savings for short-term things like holidays in comparison to long-term goals like maybe saving up for a mortgage. Because I know that you guys want to do all the fun things, but also achieve that long-term goals. long-term financial stability. Tips on balancing saving for short-term goals like your specialty holidays. Yes. Or and long-term ones like buying a house.

Good question. So I think firstly, you need to start up, draw up a budget. So if you want to save, how much can you realistically afford to save? And then if you can open up two separate pots. That might be two pots and Monzo. That might be a bank account with Zopa or one with Lloyd. for example, give yourself two pots and try if you can save alongside each goal. Or if your house fund is something you want to put more money into, put more money into that.

And then a little less into your short-term savings goal. But I think it's really important to start with that budget and give yourself a numerical number for both of these pots. So what are you working towards? Because again, I often work with people and they say, I need to save. And I'm like, okay, how much do we save it? And they're like, oh, I don't know. And I think it's really hard to stay motivated when you don't know what the end goal is. because for me, if I know I need to save 10 grand,

if I reach to like 9,000, I'm like, I'm nearly there now, and I'm going to put more. Whereas if I had no goal, it's very like, oh, saving 10 pounds. Actually, I might just take that 10 pounds because I can't be bothered. So I think if you associate a numerical number alongside that goal that you want to achieve, really, really recommend. But again, if you do have that habit of like dipping in and out of your savings, rather than having an easy access savings count,

which is where you can access the money any time you like, opt for a fixed rate account which is where your money's locked away for a certain amount of times that might be three six months one to five years but also if you may be looking to buy your very first home you might want to look at opening up a lifetime ICER which is a fixed account which you can't touch but the government adds 25% bonus for every one pound you add into it up to 4,000 pounds so that's something you can look at as well um so yeah I would say those are my different tips quite a lot of information but those are different tips Now, I know the goal to lose weight is inescapable when it comes to New Year.

So we're going to address that very shortly. But first, this guest gave perfect advice for anyone who is looking to get fitter this new year. I know it took me a really long time to detach myself from the aesthetic links to exercise and just focus on what made me feel good in myself, not trying to lose weight or get smaller. and also focusing on the incredible mental benefits that come from exercising. And I know that if you're someone who doesn't exercise regularly, becoming a fitness glee can seem so unattainable, especially if you go on social media and everyone has got a new matching gym set or a different supplement or some fancy schmensly trainers.

And this guest was so, so, so incredible at explaining why exercise can be something that all of us can do. You don't have to look a certain way. You don't have to have access to a program or different products. It's simply just about moving your body in a way that feels good for you. If you're listening to this podcast, then you probably care about your health. And that's why I'm so excited to introduce you to Smart Strains. Unlike many of the generic live bacteria supplements that you'll see on the market,

smart strains develops its products using only formulations backed by clinical trials. Each product has been specifically designed to provide you with the right strain, the right dose and in the right format. SmartStrains is a perfect example of a brand leading with science and pushing back against misinformation, which is exactly what I strive to promote on this podcast. I'll pop their website in the description and on screen now so that you can have a look for yourself. And see where smart strains can contribute to your wellbeing so you can enter the new year as the happiest, healthiest you. I'm so excited that smart strains have even given you guys an exclusive. code for 20% off, just use the code phase 20 at checkout. Limited to one use per customer and can't be

used alongside any other discounts. Running has become a massive, massive, massive trend and I know for a lot of people, it may not be for them, but it may be something that you've been tempted by. And this guest shared how she is extremely good at running and manages to balance her training program along working a demanding full-time job as a doctor. And I know that a lot of you are high achiever guillies and most of the time exercise slips to the bottom of our priorities not because we want to but because we're busy doing other things because you don't need to travel to a gym running can be a really easy form of exercise to just slip into your routine where you can whether it's for 10 minutes or an hour just sticking on your trainers and heading outside makes it

so much more accessible let's say what dr mimi had to say about her experience of failing couch to 5k to then being able to run a really, really, really quick marathon. To hear that you failed couch to 5K, I feel like we'll show so many people

listening that everyone is bad at running when they start. It's not normal to be able to run that far and not be out of breath. Yeah, yeah. Because it would be like you'd be like, okay, week five, let's go, like walk run and then you get them and be like, I can't do this. It's too hard and give up.

But then if you do find a way in through like turning up for a race or like joining a run club, like you will find you stick to it and you will progress and you'll find the enjoyment in it, especially as you move away from how you look to what can my body do for me. We've been lucky enough to have so many guests talk really candidly and openly about their experience of their body image. And this is a topic that's really, really personal to me because I have been there. I have been there. there have been some pretty low points in my relationship with my body and food. And there are certain creators on social media who have really, really stuck out to me as honestly,

people I credit a huge amount of my self-esteem to. And Nelly London is definitely one of those creators. So we'll come on to some nutrition advice later on in the episode. But first, let's tackle this really, really problematic resolution that comes crawling back every single year, I want to lose weight. My personal experience of issues with my body and eating all seems to revolve around this all or nothing mindset. We know that eating a healthy diet is really, really important and we know that moving our body in a way that feels good for us is really, really, really important. But I would find myself in this really, really, really mentally toxic place

of being really, really restrictive with my diet, punishing myself if I ate anything that was and quote unquote clean or over exercising. I'm not making sure that I was fueling my body properly. All in an attempt to meet these aesthetic goals that didn't necessarily mean that I was the healthiest version of myself. Nellie London is such a refreshing voice on social media when sometimes you can go on your phone and just see people who look perfect and these can really aggravate some of our issues with our self-esteem

and body image. And her story's really interesting because she's experienced an eating disorder. She's had plastic surgery. And her insights from those experiences are really, really unique. But let's hear about what she had to say about how therapy changed her relationship with food and her body and how she managed to heal. And then you went to the priory. So were there any like nuggets of wisdom that you took away from that experience that kind of, really pulled you out of that situation. It was so weird because I remember my first few sessions with this woman, we almost said and did nothing.

And it was this hour of awkward silence and questions I didn't even understand what she was asking me. And obviously my parents were like, how was it? How did you feel? Like how was things? And I just say, I don't know. Weird. And this went on for a long time. I remember thinking this is such a waste of time.

And I knew how much they were paying for these. sessions and it was so much money so I started to feel guilty of like god they're spending all this money that they might not have for me hoping I'll you know get better but I'm just not because this woman's crazy and then all of a sudden I just noticed that I was more willing to feed myself properly so I was just waking up and being like you know I'll I'll eat breakfast today yeah and I'll I'll eat lunch and I'll maybe even have dinner. And it was such a slow and drawn out process. But it was the tiniest changes and I couldn't even even told you what she said or recommended or what she tapped into in my brain.

I think it was just the general making me realise my self-worth. Because I remember one of the first questions she asked me was, tell me something you like about yourself. And I said nothing. And she said, no, not accepting that. I need something. I said there's nothing. because obviously I was like I said I was very swollen to me I was in a new body that I didn't have the year before that I did not recognise I didn't really wear clothes I just wear like big t-shirts and leggings because I just I didn't want to physically have an appearance

um she wouldn't accept my answer and I was really persistent I was like there's nothing I like this is almost why I'm here because I hate myself and she literally stared at me she had these amazing blue eyes that would pierce through my soul and she just stared at me until I said an answer I remember my answer ended up being my hair because I still was very lucky and I had very long, lovely thick hair. And it was things like that of forcing me to be a tiny bit kind to myself. Or like, yeah, appreciate myself even in the smallest ways. I remember that exercise.

I remember how certain I was that there was nothing on this planet. You could make me say. Yeah. But honestly, after 30 minutes of these blue eyes, I was like, okay, fine. It's the hair. Just to get rid of the awkward silence, I'm going to say something. Yeah. And it was true and it was that. She somehow really slowly brought my self-esteem up.

And I think she ended up spending many years unteaching me things that probably my mum and the media of the time had instilled into me so strongly. I'd love to include another section from that episode, which where we discussed are mothers' attitudes towards food and dieting because I found it extremely validating and healing to hear that myself. Do you know anything that might have. triggered you to feel quite anxious as a child. Well, there's, there's a couple of theories,

and it's so hard to not blame my poor old mum, because, like, it's almost automatically happens, but she was chronically anxious, in general, an anxious woman. And when she was, she always says when she was pregnant with me, she had one of her worst, like, bouts of anxiety that she's ever, ever had. the family business nearly dissolved and she thought they weren't going to be able to have anywhere for her and her family to live. Like proper crisis scenarios were playing out in real life whilst she was pregnant with me. And she's sort of a few times said that that could, like,

because you feel that as a baby. And then, yeah, I then grew up with a really anxious, highly stressed, like acutely stressed mum, who she's still acute. stressed but like she just manages it better now and is in like a phase of her life where she can you know her stress doesn't tend to impact me anymore but that's only a theory it could be that it could be something completely completely different because my brother's not the same at all my brother's three years older and she said she had a completely different pregnancy with him no stress no anxiety and he's he couldn't be anxious if you tried really yeah dead jealous I hate there's this incredible book that it's like a green book with a red frame around the side

and it's called the book you wish your parents had read. It's difficult because your parents are just people who are living for the first time as well. Of course. And it kind of talks about how all the unwilling ways that they kind of mess us up a little bit. But from like a forgiving angle, you know, from a not. Not a blame, but from an understanding. So hopefully, you know, others can break that cycle. Exactly.

Yeah, I found it really, really interesting. It gave me a lot of probably forgiveness for my parents. Yeah, yeah. So I don't know, it helps, it helps understand, I guess, all the ways. Yeah. That, like, impacts us. Before we go into the last resolution, which, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated resolutions. Let's lay down the building blocks for eating habits that are good for our body.

and can last a lifetime, not just a six-week fad diet. There was something about this episode that just felt like such refreshing narrative. I think one of the biggest trends of 2025 was definitely the rise in awareness of ultra-processed foods. Whilst we know that ultra-process foods are not good for our body, this episode really focused in on what we can add to our diet rather than what we can take away. And for someone who's experienced disordered relationship with food, this was a much more mentally healthy way to approach a healthy diet. Another thing I loved about this episode was the focus on the mental benefits of good nutrition,

the physical benefits of good nutrition, the benefits for our cycle as women when we eat better, not just what happens to the image we see in the mirror, which so often can be the focus of, anything related to our diet on social media. Sorry for the quick interruption, but if you are enjoying this episode, I would really, really appreciate if you could leave a five-star review or subscribe whatever is best for the platform that you are listening on. It really, really helps us keep doing the podcast so that you can continue to live a happier,

healthier life. Thank you. This section is for you. If you want to eat healthier, but you just don't know where to start or you're confused by all the noise on social media. Or maybe you hear buzzwords like, and probiotics and don't really know what any of that means. Dr. Megan is a leading researcher into gut health and who no nonsense approach just seemed to cut through all the, excuse my language, all the bullshit you see on social media, especially when it comes to January. So let's hear

what she had to say about eating to feed your gut microbiome. I'd also love you to hear this really, really, really nice piece of advice that I implemented the next time I had a takeaway. What advice would you give for busy women who they don't really have much time. They are reaching for the ultra-processed foods as a means of convenience. They're probably not eating the best things for their gut health. What advice would you give for them on your top tips? Any quick, easy gut health hacks? Yeah, look, I mean, totally get it. And I think one of the, another myth to bust is very much you don't need to spend hours in the kitchen to have good gut health or spend loads of money to have good gut health, right? It's like, simple hacks. You know, even if it's like, you know, Friday night getting takeaway,

getting Indian takeaway, literally get a can of mixed beans. They're like 70p for a whole can. Triple rinse them if you've got more of sensitive gut because it can help reduce some of those pre-botics, which are good for most people, but actually if you've got the sensitive gut, literally add it to your takeaway and get the flavor in. Because what happens, that's got loads of fibers, even protein as well, which really feeds those microbiome, kind of the things that they want. So you still get the joy and the convenience of, you know, a takeaway dish, but you're feeding a microbe. So I'm all about adding in. You've got a fruit smoothie, right? Get some frozen cauliflower, literally buy it already frozen and cooked. So you don't need to do anything yourself. It's grabbing it

out of the freezer. You just have to have it in your freezer. So always have some frozen cauliflower and frozen veg in general in your freezer. And pop it in your fruit smoothie, blend it up. You can't even taste it. It actually adds a bit of extra smoothness and creaminess, right? So those sorts of things. I think stir fry mixed veg packs are gods and they're already cut up for you. Wack them in the, you know, the fry pan, a bit of a bit of soy sauce, some Worcestershire sauce, you know, another can of mixed beans, some salmon. If you've, you know, you've got the five, ten minutes to cook the salmon in there.

Sprinkle and mix seeds, you know, maybe some nuts in there. You know, that's like a really gut-loving dinner in nine minutes. I think I've tired myself once. So, you know, it's about getting those habits formed and having the stuff in your fridge and in your cupboards and in your freezer. So when you're at the grocery store, literally just think convenience and diversity. Don't buy the grains that you're going to have to soak for four hours. Like, I know everyone has the best intentions, but most people never touch them. And then it just puts them off, right?

You can get these really great microwave packs. It's got like three different types of, you know, different grains. And just check again. And it's annoying because this whole ultra-processed world is like, I can't just say go that pack anymore because actually some of the brands have got loads of added sugar and emulsifies in it, whereas actually there's a few brands, really great, which actually is still quite clean. Yeah. Same with wraps, right?

I think one rap brand that I saw has got like 14 different ingredients. Then there's another wrap brand. It's crossed amylika. It's got like three ingredients, right? And it's like it proves that you don't need these. extra additives in some of these foods. They're just putting it in because it's cheaper. Yeah.

So, boringly, some food you do need to check the labels of if you are going for convenience. I'm also really proud that one of the companies Dr. Megan founded is sponsoring this podcast. And finally, let's remember that our mental health is equally as important as our physical health. And it is never more important to remember that than in January when you are being fed all these narratives that you need to make yourself. smaller or you need to suddenly be able to run 10 kilometres in December in British culture is very common to drink yourself into oblivion and it is pretty socially acceptable. And I think because as Brits, we're a little bit stereotyped as being quite uptight and alcohol is often used as a social crutch to let us loosen up a little bit. But in several of

the episodes we recorded this year, we discussed the negative impacts of alcohol and I'm really sorry. I'm sounding like a preachy doctor right now. Sue me. But there was a really interesting 2019 study that found that maybe potentially one in 12 cases of PMS could be reduced in Europe if we cut down on our drinking or Anne Sophie, a neuroscientist who came in and told us that if alcohol was invented today, we would likely be telling people that half a glass of wine a year was the healthy limit. But I'm not here to just be a boring, boring, boring billy one because i know that so much of our social connection in the UK derives from situations that involve alcohol which is why i really wanted to have milly gooch on the podcast she

is a sobriety advocate but someone who makes sobriety feel so accessible and look i'm not sober i am someone who has definitely changed my relationship with alcohol over the last few years but i still drink and i'm saying that because i don't want to come across preachy or all knowing or better than anyone else because there's definitely ways that I could improve in my approach to alcohol. But what I love about Millie is she's so non-judgmental. She doesn't come across how you'd imagine a sobriety advocate to come across. She is a huge advocate for just having fun. And I think that in January where the New Year's resolution horn is blaring everywhere you look, everyone is trying to push a different supplement, a different exercise routine,

a different way to become a better version of you. This episode reminded me that sometimes becoming a better version of you is just learning to have fun again and connect with your inner child because let me remind you, life is for living. Life is not just for achieving your goals. As much as that is great and look, I love a goal as much as the next girl. When we die, that day will unfortunately absolutely come. Will we look back and think, thank God I lost 10 kilos January 2026?

Thank God I ran a sub 25 minute 5K or thank God I didn't eat ultra-processed foods for six weeks. Probably not. We will look back hopefully at the memories where we have laughed with our friends, where we have felt most ourselves or just felt like we were not taking our time on this earth for granted. So let's hear what she had to say about finding the phone and connecting with your inner child without using alcohol as a crutch. What was that next gig? How did you bring the fun back?

Yeah, I think that's the important thing is I realise I still could be the fun one but didn't necessarily have to like rely on it to be my personality. But like I love organising fun things and I love doing different things and it just looked like slightly different. I think one of the things I would say is like when you stop drinking, that is a lifestyle choice that you are making. and not necessarily your friends. So all of a sudden, I realized that my friends

weren't necessarily going to start organizing really fun activities that we could do because they all still wanted to do other stuff. So I kind of took that on. And I think I realized that it's really default for people to, like, meet a bar or meet a restaurant or meet at a club because that's just easy, like, let's all meet here. It's kind of ag to like organize things.

So for the first part, I was like, no, I'm going to take it upon myself to organize things. And I realized it wasn't that my friends didn't want to do those things. They just couldn't be asked to organize it. Yeah. So like from one of my birthdays, I was like, let's all go whitewater rafting. Like, I'm going to organise it. We went down to like leave alley and they still talk about it now as like one of the funniest things that we did. And so I think like, you have to make a bit of effort when you stop drinking because that's a decision you've made. If you want your friends to do fun things, organise it, suggest them things. Like eventually they will also get on board and start suggesting things. But I think just to get the ball rolling, be like, let's do this, let's do that. So I think that was a thing that I learned was like, you know, do other stuff. Like, do some more daytime fun stuff. And actually, like, I found those things so bonding with my friends because we've got all these, like, new memories.

Because after a while, I realize, and don't know wrong, I still love to go out and I still love to party. But a lot of my memories of my friends, especially because I was so blackout, just all, like, blurred into this, like, one kind of, like, long club night out, whereas now we've got these, like, really separate memories and experiences. So I think that's the first thing that I would say. And then in terms of, like, finding the things, because when I stopped drinking, so I was, like, I don't even know what I like doing for fun.

Yeah. I think go back to things that you like doing when you were a kid is like a really important one and like activities or hobbies and things that you love. I used to love writing and I used to love dancing and so like when I got sober I like went back to dance classes and like just doing things that like brought you joy and things that maybe you discarded instead of like

in the pursuit of drinking I think instead. So I think that's always a good place. What did you love doing as a kid? Did you write like stories? Did you, I don't know, play with dolls? Maybe you want to like get your Beanie Baby collection and going and getting, like, collecting things or doing craft or, like, whatever that thing is. I think that's a good place to start, to be honest.

Now you are fully equipped to handle the wave of New Year's resolution content that I'm sure is going to be all over your social media feed. Thank you so, so much for listening or watching whatever you're doing. If you haven't already, please make sure you leave a five-star review. It helps us continue the podcast into the new year and 2026 so that you can continue living a happier, healthier life. Thank you so, so much for watching and I will see you in the next episode. Pua.